Some Warnings Come Too Late
by CrazyBeaver
Summary: When a group of criminals comes to Sandford, things take a dramatic turn. Warning: some violence and swearing.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: I guess I should warn you again: contains pretty dark imagery and some swearing. Right from the very first chapter _

_Disclaimer: I don't own them, of course._

**Chapter 1**

They were just investigating. Danny had expected this case to be something potentially exciting, but in reality it narrowed down to just looking through things, which, in his opinion, was quite boring.

They had received a call from London that morning, warning them that a group of people who had stayed at a local hotel the day before was, in fact, a criminal organization. Danny could barely keep up with Nicholas, who ran out of the newly rebuilt station, shouting out orders as he moved. The Sergeant's heart was racing – he had been released from hospital not that long ago, and yet some action was awaiting. Nicholas' slightly worried looks didn't go past him though, and he managed his best "I'm okay" nod as they settled in the cars, along with other officers.

Despite focusing hard enough on the road as he was driving, Danny couldn't help but notice the stern determination in Nicholas' eyes. Danny smirked – looked like Inspector Angel was off the fucking chain again.

However, they arrived at the hotel only to discover the gang was gone. The criminals seemed to have fled in a hurry though. As the Andes went to ask whether anyone had seen them go, the others returned to the station, leaving only the Inspector and the Sergeant behind.

"Do you think they could have left something important?" Danny whined, searching through another pile of old and not really clean clothes.

"If they left anything at all… they were in a rush," Nicholas answered thoughtfully. "But why did they leave? What scared them?..."

Danny sighed. All he had seen so far was just some trash – empty bottles, clothes, and just garbage like ice cream wrappers. Nicholas' phone rang, startling both of the officers a bit.

"Inspector Angel," Danny didn't know what the person on the other side was saying but his friend's eyes went wide, and his face became slightly pale. "_What?_" Angel hissed. "And you're telling me _now_?"

Nicholas disconnected almost immediately and turned to his partner.

"Danny, there might be a bomb in the building," he uttered as fast as he could. "Go downstairs and make sure there's no-one there. I'll check the upper floors".

The Sergeant could practically hear his own heartbeat in his ears as the two of them rushed out of the room and separated. He was pretty sure nobody was in the building, but Nicholas just had to double-check everything. To his great surprise, there was an old couple in one of the rooms. It took him quite a while to explain them what was going on.

Just as Danny escorted the couple out of the building, all hell broke lose. There was a deafening sound somewhere above him, everything started shaking, bits of the ceiling falling down. The Sergeant's first thought was "run away". His second thought, however, was "Nicholas", and it instantly beat the first one. Feeling his stomach twirl, he ran upstairs. Several bits of the ceiling fell on his head, making his vision blur. As he made his way up, Danny could tell it was becoming hotter, and the smell of smoke was tickling his nostrils.

"Nicholas!" he yelled despite the lump in his throat that was forming both because of the smoke and sheer panic. The same two things made his eyes fill with tears.

He didn't know how long he had been searching around (it felt like hours to him), until he spotted some movement. Storming towards its source, he started digging through bits of furniture and God knows what else. Then he finally saw his friend.

Nicholas looked like a vision from an exceptionally scary nightmare. He was shaking, his eyes were wide open, but Danny doubted Nicholas could see him, since his gaze was unfocused. Blood was flowing from the Inspector's temple. Danny tried to wipe it automatically but ended up only spreading it across his friend's face, which became even worse as more and more of the precious red liquid came out.

"Nicholas, it's me," he finally yelled, swallowing a sob. "I'll get you out of here!"

Oddly enough, it seemed to work. Nicholas stopped shaking. In fact, he went completely still. Frighteningly still. Danny felt his insides freeze. He leaned down to listen for any heartbeat, when some particularly big bit of the ceiling fell on his head, and everything went black.


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Here's one more chapter! Hope you enjoy!_

_Disclaimer: nope, still don't own them._

**Chapter 2**

It was quiet. It felt like ages had passed since Danny had last opened his eyes. Slowly, very slowly, he began to register his surroundings. He was in a bed in what he immediately recognized to be a hospital room. Someone was sitting in a chair near his bed. Danny couldn't see his face because of the bright light but he had a pretty good guess who it was, and he smiled at the figure. However, the person's voice definitely didn't belong to Nicholas.

"Jesus, will you stop getting caught in explosions?" Andy Wainwright's features were clearing up as Danny's eyes were getting used to the light.

"Ah, look who's awake," Andy Cartwright entered the room and sat next to his partner, handing him a cup of coffee. "Welcome back".

The Andes then proceeded to banter on who should call the doctor. Someone gave Danny a glass of water. He took it without looking at anyone and drank it eagerly. His eyebrows cringed as he tried to figure out what was going on. _Explosions… Right, the station blew up. The sea mine… Wait. _Something was wrong._ Why did Andy say "explosions" in plural? And didn't they both get caught in that one? All of them, actually…_ Danny's head felt heavy and started aching.

"What's wrong with him? He looks like he's miles away," Andy Wainwright asked the doctor who must have come during Danny's black out.

"Well, apart from the fact that he has been unconscious for more than two days, has a concussion and quite a few other injuries, nothing," the doctor sounded irritated. Danny couldn't help but smirk – the Andes must have really pissed him off in those two days. "And he's most likely in shock," the doctor added, regaining his composure.

"What explosion?" Danny finally forced the question out of his mouth. The detectives stared at him blankly.

"Don't you remember?" Andy Cartwright asked.

"It's a defense mechanism…" the doctor started but Andy didn't listen to him.

"The hotel," the younger detective went on, ignoring the doctor's stern look, "you and… you stayed to investigate…"

Danny closed his eyes, and the images flooded him. _Explosion. Fire. Smoke. Blood. A lot of blood on… Nicholas._ Something was going on with the Sergeant. Everything was spinning around him. His breathing became erratic. He heard something beep not far from him. Then it seemed like someone poke a needle into his arm, and everything went black and quiet once again.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Next time when Danny woke up, the Andes were gone. Instead, Doris was sitting in the chair, accompanied by a policeman (officer, the Sergeant mentally corrected himself) he didn't know.

"The doctor said you had had a panic attack," Doris said quietly. "But you'll be better now".

"Where's Nicholas?" Danny's throat was sore, and he was actually surprised the other two even heard him. Doris' face crumpled, and she turned away for a while.

"He's on another floor," the man answered softly. "You both need to rest".

Danny had a weird suspicion in the back of his head, but he didn't let it grow stronger. The stranger tried to introduce himself, but Butterman pretended he was too tired for that. Apparently, he was a sergeant in the Met. He didn't care, he just wanted to be able to get out of bed and see Nicholas as soon as possible.

"This gang often leaves a trail of explosions after them," the Met Sergeant informed Danny. "We've been trying to get to them for years. Usually they don't leave witnesses… but this time we might be up to something".

"If they often do that," Danny finally gave up on ignoring the other officer, "why did we get your warning so late?" He remembered Nicholas' pale face upon learning this information on the phone. _Almost too late…_

"I don't know," the Met Sergeant's face became unreadable. "I wasn't the one contacting your station the first time. As soon as I realized you hadn't gotten this information, I called Nicholas," his mouth became a thin straight line for a moment.

Danny sensed something was off, but he couldn't quite place it. Either the case, or his current situation… or maybe it's just that it all was so bizarre, that it just couldn't be happening at all. Maybe it wasn't. Maybe he was just going crazy. His head was overloading with information, and he shut his eyes with a sigh.


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: Sorry this chapter is so short! I hope it won't disappoint you._

_Disclaimer: I don't own them, of course._

**Chapter 3**

Two more days passed, and Danny was pretty bored. Every time he asked about Nicholas, he got standard answers like "He's getting better", but when he wanted to go and see him, he was stopped by the doctors. He didn't want to think about the criminal gang, because he couldn't understand why it was so difficult to arrest a bunch of evil-doers, since locating them wasn't that impossible, and it all just confused him even more.

Finally, one morning he woke up to see Tony Fisher and Met Sergeant What's-his-name, looking unusually serious and even a bit somber. Danny felt uncomfortable, he didn't like the atmosphere that was being set up.

"Sergeant Butterman," the Met officer began awkwardly, "the doctors say you will be released in a few days…"

Danny's face lightened up. In his joy he barely caught the mumbled "You need to know something…"

The Met Sergeant got completely confused and paused. Tony cleared his throat.

"Danny, Nicholas… is dead," he almost whispered.

Danny just stared at him for a few seconds. It was like the entire world had stopped existing, as his brain was seemingly shutting down. _It can't be… It must be a joke…_

"What?" he asked, as tears were forming in his eyes.

"When… when the rescuers found you…" Tony felt a lump in his throat himself.

"He was already dead by then," the Met Sergeant finished the sentence. "I'm sorry".

"We couldn't tell you earlier, we didn't want to upset you…"

They said something more, but Danny didn't hear them. Never before in his entire life had he felt so lonely. When his mother had died, his Dad had been there for him. When Dad had been arrested, Nicholas had become what was like a family to him. And now there was nobody. Danny didn't notice when the two other officers left. He didn't care, to be honest.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

The first thing to be registered were voices. They were all mixed together in a dull noise of busyness. Then there was the smell – the smell of hospital. Open your eyes… ouch, too bright.

"Hello, Nicholas," the voice was familiar. Nicholas opened his eyes again.

"How do you feel?" the Chief Inspector asked, giving Nicholas a glass of water.

"How the fuck do you think I feel?" Angel mumbled, taking the glass. The Chief Inspector flinched slightly at the younger officer's irritation. Nicholas didn't care about his tone much. He wasn't in any way pleased to see the older man. It most probably meant more trouble. He tried to recall what had happened. There was an explosion… and pain, nothing but sheer pain… _Danny!_

"Where's Danny?"

"Sergeant Butterman is at hospital in Buford Abbey. He's doing fine, he'll be released soon," he replied.

Nicholas sighed with relief and rested his head on the pillow. But then his eyebrow cringed as he acknowledged the weirdness of that sentence. He looked around him.

"Where am I then?" he asked, feeling completely lost.

"London," was the answer. Nicholas felt dizzy.

"Why?" he asked dumbly. The other officer sighed.

"I'll explain later. And now have rest. You need to get well soon".

Angel closed his eyes exhaustedly. _This certainly couldn't mean anything good…_


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: I'm sorry my chapters are so short! My only hope is that they are at least enjoyable…_

_Disclaimer: Do! Not! Own!_

**Chapter 4**

"So, let's get to our business".

Nicholas was looking at the trio in front of him, unwillingly catching a flashback to the day he was promoted to Sergeant and transferred to Sandford. In the past few days he had made a remarkable progress on his way to recovery. The doctors said he was very lucky. But it wasn't really his main concern. The entire situation was just too confusing. He wasn't allowed to contact anyone outside the hospital. He couldn't talk to Danny and make sure if he really was alright. But now he hoped to find out what was going on. He didn't take his glance away from the Chief Inspector, who seemed to be getting uncomfortable under the steely gaze.

"The gang you crossed your path with is quite well-known in certain circles," the older man went on. "They always seem to be showing off in front of our eyes…"

Angel sighed.

"Why aren't they in prison yet? Is it so difficult to take them out?" he asked.

"Nicholas, we know you took out an entire village, but this situation is different. We need to take them out more… discreetly".

"Discreetly?" Angel deadpanned.

"You see," the Met Inspector intruded, "we suspect they are connected to some more… serious organizations".

"Wait," Nicholas shut his eyes with an effort. There was a question he wanted to clear. He looked at the Met Sergeant. "I just want to know, why," he was getting progressively angry as he spoke, "why did you tell me about the bomb so late?"

The sergeant flinched, but it was the Chief Inspector who answered.

"And this is our main problem. We think that someone in the Met can be working for them".

Angel sighed once again. _Fucking brilliant._ He practically heard a coin fall into the swear jar in his new station. He really missed Sandford now.

"Well, I'm sorry to hear that, Sir… But I'd like to contact my officers in Sandford and go home," that's right, Nicholas, show them you don't care.

"You are dead to them," the oldest of the group replied.

"Sir?..." great, that's what he got from wanting to clear things up. More confusion.

"We faked your death and transferred you here almost immediately after the explosion".

Nicholas' jaw dropped. There was a pause as they let those words sink in. Nicholas didn't even want to think what Danny's reaction must have been. He felt a lump in his throat when he imagined Danny's childishly innocent eyes widen at learning the "news". He shook his head slightly and tried to look at it from a different point of view. If they did all that, it must be serious.

"Nicholas, you are the best officer I have ever known. We can't deal with this case on our own. We need your help".

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Danny had lost the count of days. They were all just the same. He tried to watch some action movies in his hospital room, but ended up either not paying any attention to them, or sobbing childishly as he remembered watching them with Nicholas.

There was one thing that was bothering him, however. It was a talk he had unintentionally overheard on the day of his release.

_Two nurses were talking to each other._

"_Finally that guy is leaving," one of them said. "And the entire police force…" ('service', said Nicholas in Danny's head) "… will stop mucking about in here"._

"_Yeah, I'm fed up with them, too…" the other replied. "Crowding the place, transferring whoever they like to wherever they want…" She fell silent, as if she wasn't supposed to be talking about what she had just said._

Danny felt there was something about those words but gave up on figuring it out after a while. Time went on, and nothing was going on… _"There is always something going on,"_ Nicholas' voice in Danny's head pointed out one day, and the Sergeant flinched, startled.


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: okay, this chapter is a bit sad, and it's focused entirely on Danny… I hope you'll enjoy it and won't hate me for this sadness!_

_Special thanks to PeggsterLover for her patience and inspiration ;-) _

_Disclaimer: I don't own them and never did._

**Chapter 5**

Danny was still out of work, but he felt almost completely recovered now. There was a thing that was still bugging him though. The more time passed, the stronger it grew. He wanted the criminals to be punished. He wanted to make sure that they would pay for what they had done to Nicholas… and all the other innocent people they had killed, obviously. He still had nightmares about that day. There was always Nicholas' absent stare, troubled and erratic breathing and blood, the amounts of which seemed to multiply every time he saw that dream. And it always ended with death. His best friend's death in his arms. Danny felt that if he didn't do something, he would just go crazy.

He talked to the Andes about what they had found out about the gang. It obviously didn't give him any useful information, since a) too much time had passed since the day of their "investigation"; and b) they hadn't really investigated that much.

One day, however, he saw a person who might help him. The Met Sergeant joined him at the graveyard, and they just stood there in silence for a while.

"Why are you here?" Danny asked quietly, not moving his glance from his friend's fresh grave not far from his mother's.

"Just came here to…" the other man paused. "We were friends, too, you know. With Nicholas. Later on we went our separate ways but…" he noticed Danny wasn't really listening, just nodding to the words. The Met officer sighed. Of course, he had a reason to be there. In fact, he had promised to come to Sandford once in a while to check if Danny "wasn't alone", as Nicholas had put it.

"Are you alright?" he asked, feeling a bit guilty. Danny finally looked up at him.

"Yeah, I guess so," he answered. "It's just that… I need some time to get used to… everything".

The other sergeant nodded. Danny looked at the gravestone once again and started to walk away. The Met officer hesitated for a few seconds before joining him. Butterman didn't seem to mind.

After a while Danny stopped awkwardly and looked at the other officer.

"Listen, I'm sorry I don't remember…"

"It's Travis," the other man managed a small smile.

"Danny," he forced something that looked like a smile, too, as he shook the other sergeant's hand.

"Have they been caught?" Danny asked after a silent moment. Travis flinched.

"No".

"Why?" Danny's tone was somewhat accusing. "They don't seem to be hiding or anything".

"It — it's a bit more complicated than that," Travis stuttered.

"Is it?"

"Look, Danny, you should stay away from this. It's for your own good".

"What is it with this case?" Danny asked, trying his best I-can-see-right-through-you face.

"I can't tell you. We should just all do what we are supposed to, that will serve the greater good".

Danny shrugged. He hated that expression. The last thing he had been supposed to do for "the Greater Good" was killing his best friend. He hadn't done that, but the friend was now dead anyway. Cruel irony.

"Our people are working on it," Travis tried to sound reassuring.

"The same people who failed to warn us about the bomb?" Danny's voice cracked a bit at that question. If only they had known earlier… just a little bit earlier… everything would be alright now.

"We're doing all we can," Travis felt uncomfortable. He didn't know what to say.

"Well, this is me," Danny suddenly proclaimed as they approached a house.

"Oh… Then…"

"Goodbye, Travis," Danny cut off abruptly and marched to his doorstep.

"See you some other time!" the Met Sergeant exclaimed. Nicholas wouldn't be happy with this state of things…

"Yeah, see you," was the barely audible reply.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

A few days later, Danny turned on the TV, just in time to see a news report about another explosion in a hotel. It was not that far from Sandford, and something was telling him it was the same gang. Without thinking much he got into his car and drove to the place.

As he drove past the remains of a building, he saw quite a few people around. Now he needed to talk to them…

After about two hours of asking questions and listening to confusing and sometimes frightened replies Danny figured out that the gang apparently had separated so that they could hide easily. He even found out where some of them might be. He decided to follow one of them, ho seemed to be hiding alone for now. He didn't know what to do next. Maybe he'd just beat up the wanker. Or maybe try to find out the whereabouts of the leader… and then… Danny didn't know, but at least he had a plan for now. Either way, the evil must be punished. Nicholas would be proud of this rightfulness.

The hideout was a basement of an empty building. Danny went in without a doubt, but as he was descending into the darkness, he started to think that maybe it wasn't such a good idea. Maybe he hadn't thought it all through. Just as he began to consider turning back, something landed heavily on his head, and the darkness wrapped around him.


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N: There you go, another chapter! I hope you'll find it interesting…_

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything…_

**Chapter 6**

Danny opened his eyes, trying to figure out what had just happened. His head ached like hell, but he soon realized that it wasn't his only problem. His hands were tied behind his back, and they seemed to have been like that for quite a while. He looked around him, only to see that there were like a dozen people there, and they didn't look friendly at all. They were all wearing hoodies, which, in addition to the dimmed light, hid their faces and made them look a bit like dementors from Harry Potter movies. Danny wasn't even a fan of them, and was a bit surprised that he remembered them now. He shook his head. There were slightly more pressing matters at hand there.

"Who are you?" one of them asked upon realizing the hostage had come to his senses. "What have you been doing here?"

"I was just…" Danny couldn't come up with an answer. Shit. No good. "I was just out for a walk…"

"Oh, drop it," another hoodie yelled. "In here? Are you fucking kidding?" he received a look from the first one and fell silent.

"Either way, we don't need you in 'ere," the first hoodie spoke again. For a split second Danny had a wild hope that they were going to let him go. Then he realized how ridiculous it was. Of course they weren't. Danny was scared. And angry not only at the bad guys but also at himself and his own stupidity.

"Tim," the leader turned to one of his fellows who stepped out eagerly, "take him out and get rid of him. We don't want this place littered yet".

Danny closed his eyes. No good at all. _So I'm gonna die._

"Although… wait," Danny's heart skipped a beat. Maybe it wasn't so bad. Maybe they would let him live for some unknown reason. Because he didn't want to die, no matter how bad things had been for him lately.

"Let your cousin do it," the main hoodie offered. "Let it be his initiation".

Tim sighed with disappointment. Another guy stepped out. Danny's heart dropped. Bad. He saw a blade of the knife in the guy's hand. Very bad. A strong hand gripped his shoulder and practically lifted him up, leading him into some passage.

Danny calculated his chances. He could probably take on this guy. Even though his hands were still tied, he was a police officer after all. Now he needed to get away from the rest of the gang. It was his only chance.

As soon as they got quite far, Danny prepared himself for some movement. As if sensing his body tense, the hoodie gripped his shoulder even harder. Then, before he could do anything, the hand moved from his shoulder to covering his mouth.

"Be quiet," the hoodie whispered into the Sergeant's ear so quietly it was barely audible. "I'll get you out of here".

Danny could literally feel his knees give in, and he had to make quite an effort to stay up. That line reminded him of the things he wanted to forget. And why was this guy helping him, anyway?... The ropes on Danny's wrists were soon gone. They walked a bit more, and entered a large room. A few of the big old-styled windows were missing the glass. Some light was getting in, but not much — it seemed to be getting dark outside. The place was dusty and littered with all sorts of junk. And then they heard footsteps behind them. They stopped and turned, the hoodie still behind Danny's back. Another one was approaching them. As he came up, he suddenly punched the guy behind Danny in the stomach. The second punch to the jaw made him fall onto the floor. The Sergeant froze in shock, not sure what to do — whether to help his probable savior or just run or whatever.

"What the f —" the guy squeaked from the dusty wooden floor.

"I'm sorry, Nicholas," the other guy cut off quietly but confidently. "If anyone can crack this case, it's you, not me. If they find out you let this guy go, they will kill you".

Danny did hear all of that but he barely registered it. He just stared at the man on the floor. The hood had now completely fallen from his head, revealing blond hair. His face was covered with small cuts, and his lip was bleeding quite badly, and he now had some facial hair, but there could be no doubt. It was Nicholas Angel. Was it a dream? Danny didn't know. He felt reality slipping out.

"So you beat me up and…"

"Well, you know I'm a bloodthirsty freak. Wouldn't let my cousin have all the fun, would I?"

"And if they find out _you_ have let him go…?"

"Like I said. It's up to you to solve this case. I've been trying for too long without any success".

Danny was looking from one of them to the other, opening his mouth, but no sound came out. Nicholas looked at the other hoodie and swallowed hard. Then he finally turned to his friend.

"Danny," the warmth in his tone seemed to be overpowered only by the worry. "Don't ask me anything, I can't tell you, no matter how I wanted to. Follow this man and go home. Stay out of this. Please".

Danny felt that if he tried to speak, he would probably just begin to cry. Instead, he just threw his arms around his friend.

"Just don't do it again," he forced at last, squeezing Nicholas, as if still in doubt that he was real. "Don't leave me".

Angel wanted to answer "Never" but he really just didn't know, and he didn't want to lie to Danny.

"Everything is going to be fine," he whispered, returning the hug. "Now go".

The last thing Danny saw in that place was Nicholas' big blue eyes, which looked at him with sadness, despite the smile which appeared on his face when Danny turned his head towards him.

The Sergeant was led into another passage, then there was some corridor, then some steps, and he was outside. He didn't remember how he got to Sandford, as he shook his head to realize he was in his car in front of his house.


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N: And there's another chapter. I hope you will like it :)_

_Disclaimer: I don't own them._

**Chapter 7**

Nicholas looked at the two as they walked away. He knew that just a couple of punches wasn't enough for a convincing cover. He knew there would be some more fighting. Still sitting on the dusty floor, he rested his head against the wall. _Danny… How on earth did you get here?_ The past two weeks (_was it two weeks already? Christ…_) weren't easy for Inspector Angel. The Met officers had practically begged him into this, making him pretend to be a cousin of their officer who had already been working in the gang, which itself was a risky move. Nicholas was supposed to figure out what the gang's contacts in the Met were. He was here essentially on a mole hunt. _Dammit_, he thought. _I'm a police officer, not a secret agent_. And now Danny shows up, like something from another life. From the life where Nicholas knew who he was and how to act. He wanted to get back to that life. _Well, maybe, with some luck, I will._

It was quiet, which in the past days was also unusual to Angel. He heard a car start outside and sighed in relief. He knew whose car it was. He heard someone come up to him and opened his eyes to see "Tim" (though his real name was actually Montgomery, or just Monty to friends), who smiled at him a bit apologetically.

"Ready?" Monty asked, and Nicholas stood up, preparing himself for a lot of pain. After a short nod, the two started a fight, in which neither of them tried to block the other's hits — they both had to look convincing.

As they staggered back into the hideout, covered in blood and bruises and wincing in pain at every step they took, they realized that the others had seen Danny leave. Now the entire gang was in there. Nicholas prayed to whatever he could pray to for them not to follow Danny, trying to see whether anyone was missing.

"So what happened?" the leader asked, not hiding his anger. "How did you two let him go?"

"This fucker didn't let me do what I was supposed to," Nicholas had to stick to the plan, even though he hated himself right now. "Attacked from behind, I didn't even know what happened".

"Tim?" the senior turned his gaze to the other undercover officer. "Explain yourself".

"Didn't want Shaun to have all the fun," Shaun was Nicholas' cover name in here. For some reason, at the Met they had said it "suited" him. "But that guy turned out strong," Monty went on, showing his fresh injuries.

"And you didn't let your own cousin pass his initiation?" the senior's tone was cold as ice. Indeed, Nicholas felt his insides freeze at those words. The senior took out his gun and pointed it at the poor guy, who started shaking quite visibly. "I'd like you to apologize for your fuckup. You've let all of us down".

Montgomery swallowed.

"I'm sorry".

"And now apologize to your cousin".

Nicholas felt shiver down his own spine when he saw his fellow's eyes. There was doom in them.

"I'm sorry, Shaun…" his voice was immediately followed by the gunshot.

"Looks like you don't have a cousin anymore, Shaun," the senior commented, hiding his gun. "And now we have to move out from here, since that fat wanker could have called the cops… so at least they'll find something for their entertainment," he nodded at the body on the floor.

Nicholas just stood there frozen, fighting back the tears.

"Move it, if you don't want to join Tim there," the senior barked at him. Nicholas nodded, snapping out of his shock.

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They were in another basement. Everyone was asleep, but Nicholas knew that any unusual noise would make them all spring back onto their feet. He just sat there and listened to the monotonous dripping of water somewhere near. He felt guilt squashing him, like a boulder on his shoulders. It was much worse than when he had killed a crack-head. At least then it was the only way to save the entire squad. But here… they should have made a better plan. A plan that didn't involve one of them getting the other killed. The more Angel thought about it, the heavier the boulder felt. And the further normality seemed to be. And meeting Danny was probably just a dream… Except that Monty was now dead because of it.

The Inspector rubbed his eyes with force. _Focus_.

Montgomery had managed to discover their connections to other organizations. At least that part of the job was done. Nicholas sighed. How he could find the mole in here was beyond him. He couldn't just ask the senior, obviously.

One of the guys started snoring, which made Angel jump. He buried his face in his hands. _You are losing it, Nicholas…_

And then he had an idea. It was a crazy idea, but he most likely was, indeed, insane, so it kind of made sense. Besides, everyone in that place was crazy. And knowing how paranoid the senior was about their "Partner", as he called it, the idea could actually work…


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N: Sorry it's so short! I hope it won't disappoint you…_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Hot Fuzz _:(

**Chapter 8**

"So you are telling me that our Partners are scheming behind our backs?" the senior looked at his newest recruit sternly. Nicholas shrugged.

"So I heard," he answered. "Rumor has it that they are planning to get rid of us as soon as we stop being useful. And it's gonna happen soon, they're changing their plans now".

"How do you know?"

"Friends in London. I need to meet them to make sure," Nicholas put all the effort he could to look confident. He had no right for mistake. It meant death.

"If I find out you're shitting me… or making this up…"

"Why would I? And how would I even know about them? You're not telling us anythin'," Nicholas even tried to look a bit offended at such lack of trust, when suddenly a hand grabbed his throat.

"Don't fly too high, Shaun," he heard the quiet but menacing voice, as red spots started jumping in front of his eyes. "You're not quite in the position to judge me, are you? _Are you?_" the hand tightened its grip at those two last words. Nicholas tried to shake his head in response and was finally released.

"Go to London then," the senior went on as soon as Nicholas' coughing fit was over. "We need to be sure. And come back at once".

"Sure thing," Nicholas croaked, still trying to catch his breath.

"And if you don't come back… trust me, I will find you".

Nicholas nodded. He was actually hoping for that.

"What's that?" the senior tensed, hearing some noise somewhere near them. Nicholas couldn't hear anything. Maybe it was because of the ringing in his ears, or maybe the senior was just imagining things.

"Or better just call me if you find out something. You've got your phone, right?"

Angel nodded again. Every person in the gang had to always have their phones with them whenever they went out so that the senior could keep a track of them whenever he needed or wanted.

_The first part of the plan was a success_, the Inspector thought as he went outside to see a sunny day.

For the first time in the past month or so he felt free. Not at hospital, not under the watch of his former fellows at the Met and not among a bunch of people he normally wouldn't trust with a pen from his pocket. Even though this freedom was temporary, he still couldn't hide an almost childish smile as he looked around. He shook himself. _Don't get carried away, Nicholas. You've got more work to do, and you don't have the right to switch off now._

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In London things went just as smoothly. Nicholas knew that now that he had intrigued the senior, he was valuable for him, since he might have potentially vital information. And this meant that if Nicholas (or, to put it better, Shaun) got into trouble, he would use all of his resources to get him out of it. And this was the opportunity to see what those resources included.

Angel's experience at being a London PC helped him a lot. He knew exactly how to irritate them. The only thing he thought as he was being taken to the nearest station (for assaulting a police officer, no less) was not to meet anyone he knew. That would blow his cover immediately. It was weird to be on the other side now. Nicholas felt a bit worried when he realized that he was actually enjoying it a bit. It was the same side of him that had started carnage in Sandford a year ago. The rebellious side. It was helpful sometimes.

Then he used his right for a phone call. The senior wasn't happy with him, but he'd deal with it later. Now he just had to wait. He knew he wouldn't see the "mole", but it would be possible to follow the strings as they got pulled.

"Sergeant Dickenson?" a constable entered the office where Nicholas was sitting opposite the sergeant.

"What is it?" he asked tiredly.

"There are some guys from the Met. They say we've caught a bigger fish than we had thought," the constable nodded in Nicholas' direction. "They are going to take him with them".

Nicholas actually had to struggle with himself in order not to grin. _Just as planned…_ But then there was another thought which wiped out his enthusiasm. _Wasn't it too soon after his call?..._


	9. Chapter 9

_A/N: I'm sorry it's so short! And also… I am just… sorry. Yeah._

_Disclaimer: don't own them._

**Chapter 9**

_Shit. Think, Nicholas, think fast. You have almost no time. Who could have sent these guys? _The conclusion he made was startlingly simple. They had been wrong from the very beginning. The gang didn't have any "mole" in the Met. "The Partner" did. And it suddenly made so much more sense. The mighty organization had all the strings and kept smaller gangs under protection. Nicholas had no idea how they knew he was here, probably someone had been watching him. One thing was clear, though — to "his" gang he was needed alive, since he supposedly had valuable information. To the other gang he was needed preferably dead for that very same reason. _Shit_.

Detective Sergeant Dickenson gave him one more glance and assumed there wasn't much the still handcuffed guy could do. He went out of the office and stopped in the doorframe for a small talk.

"So are you going to transfer him now?" he asked one of the officers.

"Actually," was the reply, "we'd like to talk to him now. It's an urgent matter, you know. And a secret one, too, so…"

"I get it," DS Dickenson nodded. "I'll get you an isolated room".

Nicholas was led out of the office. Unlike he had expected though, they didn't go outside but into a cell room. _Shit!_

As soon as the door had closed, a heavy blow to the stomach left Nicholas gasping for air. There was no way he could defend himself, still restrained.

"So tell us, Shaun," one of the officers asked casually. "What do you know about the change in plans?"

"What plans?" Nicholas forced. Another punch and he was on the floor.

"Don't try to play a fool on us, Shaun," the officer went on. "Who told you?"

"I don't remember," it was hard to speak since his mouth was filling with blood. He spat it out but felt it appearing there again.

"We can go on long enough to refresh your memory," the kick to the chest that followed made Angel's vision blur.

"Or we can just kill you," the other officer intervened with another kick.

"You think I haven't told anyone?" Nicholas managed to say despite he couldn't even breathe properly.

"So you choose the long death?" the first officer asked, throwing all his rage at the man lying on the floor.

Nicholas was preparing himself to die right there. He couldn't tell that it was that unwelcome though…

"Wait," the second officer stopped his partner. "This isn't working. Maybe if we take him to the Chief, he'll be more talkative?"

There was a silence, accompanied only by Angel's hoarse breathing and occasional coughing.

"Okay," the first one finally agreed. "Make sure the coast is clear though. Don't want to explain how many times he accidentally tripped and fell down".

A minute later Nicholas was dragged along the corridor and thrown into the car. He barely registered his surroundings. The last thing he acknowledged was some shaking as the car stopped abruptly and some gunshots… or maybe it was just thunder. Somewhere far away…

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Detective Sergeant Dickenson came home late that day. This job was exhausting him. He took off his jacket, and, just as he was about to hang it on its place, something fell out of the pocket. He picked it up. It was a crumpled piece of paper…


	10. Chapter 10

_A/N: the name "Travis O'Reilly" wasn't my idea, it's a fan name that stuck. I took it from PeggsterLover's fics. I hope you enjoy!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own them._

**Chapter 10**

Sergeant Travis O'Reilly was sitting at his desk in deep thought. It was long past the end of the working day but he seemed not to notice the time. That morning they had found their undercover officer dead. There was still nothing from the other officer, and Travis had seriously begun to fear the worst. Rubbing his eyes, he decided to go and see Danny the following day. He still felt kind of guilty for making up such a horrible lie about his best friend's death. Maybe it wasn't a lie now, a voice whispered in the back of his head, but he ignored it. As long as there was no evidence of that, he chose to believe Nicholas was alive and well. Just as he was going to leave, his phone rang.

"Sergeant O'Reilly," he answered automatically.

"Excuse me," the unknown voice on the other side sounded unsure. "This is Detective Sergeant Dickenson. I don't know how to take this and what happened but I got a note with your phone number and…"

Travis tightened his grip on the phone.

"And…?" he repeated encouragingly.

"Well, it says that the Met officers who came to my office at 2 p.m. may either be working for criminals or leading to someone working for criminals. It also says 'We've been looking in the wrong place. The bigger gang keeps the mole. Might need help'. Signed: 'N. A.'".

Travis sighed. So Nicholas was alright.

"Can you tell me the names of those officers?" he asked.

"They were Sergeant Watt and Constable Gollings," the DS was proud of his memory. He had always been good with names.

"And who gave you this note?" Travis wondered. He wanted to be sure that Nicholas was fine.

"That's the weird thing about it," Dickenson replied. "I don't know. Someone put it into my pocket. I guess it was the guy we've arrested earlier today. Those two came to transfer him and took him with them after some private talk…"

Travis tensed. This didn't sound good.

"Thank you, Detective Sergeant," he collected himself. "You've helped us a lot".

Travis disconnected. He needed to find Watt and Gollings. His thoughts about getting some sleep were forgotten. Maybe Nicholas was somewhere near…

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Soon the Met Sergeant was reading some new reports, drinking his umpteenth cup of coffee. _Sergeant Watt… Constable Gollings… found dead in their car earlier that day. Both shot in the head._ Travis rubbed his face. There was also some blood on the passenger seat, which didn't belong to either of the officers. It had been sent to the laboratory, but Travis was pretty sure he knew whose blood it was.

Anyway, he was determined to have a talk with whoever sent them after Nicholas. _Sorry, Danny. Tomorrow is going to be a busy day… I hope you are coping well._ Travis felt bad about not quite keeping the promise he had given to Nicholas but he reckoned Angel would understand. Too many things were going on.

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Nicholas couldn't stay awake for more than a few minutes. Someone was trying to shake him, which sent pain through his entire body. He just wanted them to leave him alone. Whenever he opened his eyes, he heard someone's voice. But he couldn't make out a single word of it, his eyes rolled, and there was darkness again.

The gang's senior was panicking. He had never thought that his over-cautiousness could restrain him, but it now was. He didn't know what to do. Whether he was supposed to try and get Shaun back to his senses so that he could ask him some very good questions, or just leave him and run…

They were in a new hideout, and the atmosphere of panic was all around the place. Eventually, they decided to wait for a while.

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Sergeant Daniel Butterman was back at service. Tony Fisher was now filling in for Nicholas and it kind of felt like the times when Danny's Dad had been there. Minus the serial murders, of course.

After seeing Nicholas he didn't quite know how to feel. Nicholas was alive. Danny felt like he would never ask for anything for Christmas. What else could he possibly be asking for?... But he was still in danger. And that thought just wouldn't leave Danny, filling him with worry and not letting him sleep at night.

It had all lasted until one day Danny decided he couldn't go on like this. He needed to do something. He found Travis' card in his pocket. He didn't remember taking it, but everything in those days had been like a blur anyway. Having taken a deep breath, he dialed the number.


	11. Chapter 11

_A/N: So here's the final chapter! I hope you enjoy! My special thanks yet again to PeggsterLover ;)_

_Disclaimer: I don't own them!_

**Chapter 11**

Travis came to work early that morning. He sat in his office, thinking how to start the talk. The Inspector and the Chief Inspector were both informed. He had found out that Watt and Gollings had acted under the orders of Inspector Benzie. The reports they had got from the late Montgomery were enough to shake the guy, and now that they had solved that puzzle, they could confront him.

Travis' main concern was that they had no information about Nicholas and "his" gang's whereabouts. If there was his blood in that car, then he was hurt, and probably needed help. But they had no idea where to send said help.

The car with the dead officers was found outside the city. They were probably taking Nicholas to some place in the suburb. But where could his "gang-mates" have taken him, was beyond the sergeant.

Later he, along with the Inspector and the Chief Inspector, was in Benzie's office. The Chief did all the talking. Rank thing. Travis barely listened and just glared at the office's owner with disgust. _How could he care only about his own benefits when there were lives at stake…? Actual human lives…_

A startled reaction from the Chief snapped him out of his thoughts. Travis joined him as the older man started pacing.

"They are in Gloucestershire," the Chief was mumbling. "They sent a bunch of armed thugs dressed as police officers to kill them all".

Travis was catching up on it.

"When?" he asked.

"Long ago," the Chief was shaking with worry. "We can't reach it in time".

The Chief went out to contact the local police, but it was a really small village, that wouldn't be enough.

It was then that Travis' phone rang. Without thinking, he picked up purely automatically.

"Travis," it was Danny Butterman's voice, the Met Sergeant registered absent-mindedly.

"Danny, I'm sorry, we're just in the middle of something…"

"I know Nicholas isn't dead," the other sergeant interrupted. "I saw him".

Travis stopped pacing.

"Saw him?" he repeated. There was a slim chance that Nicholas wasn't with the gang now, meaning he wouldn't be killed along with them by a miniature army. "Where? When?"

Danny quickly recalled his meeting with Nicholas a few days ago. Travis sighed. But then he had an idea. The gang was hiding close to Sandford…

"Danny, we need your help," Travis blurted out without any hesitation left.

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Nicholas finally regained consciousness and kind of regretted it at once. He was in some cold and darkened place. Everything hurt, to the point when even every breath he took sent electric impulses through his body. He looked around. Nobody was paying attention to him at the moment. He was happy about it. The mere seconds he had been conscious were exhausting him. He felt dizzy and his vision was blurry.

And suddenly everything exploded with noise and panic. It sounded like someone had been watching a war movie next door, but very, very loudly. Gunshots, screams… Nicholas could no longer keep track of it all and just chose to stare at the ceiling above him till he either died or passed out or something else happened.

The senior was on the verge of a breakdown now. Clearly their Partner had sent a bunch of goons to kill them, because they weren't needed anymore. So Shaun was right. But it was too late now. They needed to try and run away. He sent everyone he could outside to keep the defense. It was weird — it looked like there were some actual coppers there, too, and they were shooting at the thugs. No longer able to deal with all this madness, he pulled his gun out.

"So that's what you've been talking about, Shaun?" he asked having noticed that the man was now awake.

Nicholas moved his gaze lazily, until it focused on the senior. He looked at him with absolutely no emotion, too weak to say anything. Dark spots were appearing in front of his eyes again as he watched the other man's gun point right at his face. Angel closed his eyes. _So the pain will end now. And so will this whole madness. And so will everything else._

The sound of the gunshot was so loud that it deafened the Inspector. And something was clearly wrong with his head. And he wasn't dead.

He opened his eyes, and almost everything was black now. The only thing he could see was a worried face looking down at him.

"Danny…" saying that word took the last strength Nicholas had had left, and he let his eyes close, drifting away, where it was calm, quiet and peaceful.

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Danny had arrived at the place as fast as he could. Convincing other officers hadn't been difficult. The massive shootout that took place afterwards would be fun if Nicholas wasn't somewhere out of sight, possibly injured or even worse… but Danny didn't want to think about the "worse" thing. Not any more.

After a huge battle Danny finally managed to break inside the hideout, just in time to see a hoodie pointing a gun at a man lying in the corner. The light was very poor, but the Sergeant knew who they were. Without any second thoughts he shot the hoodie right in the head and rushed to the victim.

"Nicholas!" he shouted, recognizing his friend for sure. "Oh my God…"

Angel looked worse than anyone the Sergeant had ever seen. It easily beat Danny's memory of the explosion. He was a mess, dried blood was covering his face, and there were bruises everywhere. His weak "Danny" didn't sound good at all, either. Then Nicholas went numb and irresponsive, and Danny had to shake himself from the bad flashbacks. He quickly checked his friend's pulse and sighed in relief when he found one.

"Don't worry, Nicholas," he whispered, as more people were surrounding them and sirens were heard from the outside. "Everything is going to be fine now".

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The light was unusually bright as the Inspector opened his eyes. He let them adjust while trying to recall what had happened. Maybe it was all just a dream after the explosion. Someone was holding his hand, and the grip tightened as soon as Nicholas showed signs of consciousness.

"Hey," Danny's eyes were red. Maybe it was because of the lack of sleep, or maybe he had been crying. Or both.

Nicholas managed a smile. Maybe his try wasn't very successful, but it sure made Danny happy.

The doctor came to check on him and give him a full list of his injuries. Nicholas decided not to listen to it that much because it was all just too scary. Soon the doctor left, and the Inspector and the Sergeant were alone again.

Nicholas remembered the last thing he saw in that place.

"Why did you come there?" he suddenly asked, barely forcing tongue to move. "I told you to stay away…"

"Yeah, and I had told you to stay away from Sandford, but you didn't listen back then, either," Danny chuckled. For a while there was another silence.

"Danny," Nicholas said quietly, and the seriousness of both his tone and his face made the Sergeant nervous. "I am sorry".

Danny's eyes widened.

"What for?"

"About that lie, that I was… you know… I didn't want to upset you, it's just…"

"I know what happened," Danny cut him off. "They had planned it before we both woke up. It's not your fault," he smiled. "Just…" his eyes became wet again. "Just never do that again".

Nicholas felt his own face crumple.

"Never," he squeezed Danny's hand once again. Minutes later they were both asleep — Nicholas in his bed and Danny in his chair beside it.


End file.
